User equipment (ue) assisted system database update

ABSTRACT

A wireless communication system includes a base station that receives information regarding neighboring wireless systems and updates and stores this information for use in handover of user equipments (UEs).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/405,088, filed on Apr. 17, 2006, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/822,502, filed on Apr. 12, 2004, whichissued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,058,405, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/328,623, and filed Dec. 23, 2002, whichissued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,735,443, which claims priority from U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/392,211 filed on Jun. 28, 2002, all ofwhich are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wireless communication systems. Inparticular, the invention relates to database processing of informationfor user equipment (UE) handover.

BACKGROUND

User equipment (UE) in wireless communication systems are beginning toprovide functionality for internet/public service telephone network(PSTN) access via multiple wireless systems (such as (WLANs), Bluetooth®a registered trademark for a wireless network, universal mobiletelecommunications system (UMTS), general packet radio service (GPRS),etc.). Hence, there is a growing need for these systems to work witheach other in order for a UE to handover from one technology to another.

To assist in a handover, a wireless communication system base stationcan relay to a UE the information pertaining to outside systems. Thus, abase station needs to retain and constantly update information about theother systems. Retrieval of the information about another system ispossible through secure inter-system connections (such as via anIP-cloud, for example) under roaming agreements. However, it is adeployment challenge to maintain and update such information about othersystems. Hence there is a need for an alternate source to assist thebase station in supplying the outside system information in order toeliminate the need for explicit inter-system connections andcommunications for this purpose.

SUMMARY

The present invention employs a technique for obtaining and updatingdata relating to neighboring wireless systems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram showing a plurality of wireless systemsand user equipments within the wireless systems, which may employ thetechnique and principles of the present invention to great advantage.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram useful in explaining the principles of thepresent invention and a method to implement such a system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a multimode UE 101 operating within a wireless system 102having an associated base station (BS) 102 b, while also being able todetect multiple surrounding wireless systems 103-105. Upon detection ofinformation from wireless systems 103-105, UE 101 sends the currentinformation to BS 102 b of system or systems 103-105. BS 102 b can thenupdate its database based on this new information from UE 101. Likewise,subsequent handovers of UE 101 to other base stations can provide basestation database updates. For example, after handover to wireless system103, UE 101 sends information pertaining to the most recently residentsystem (i.e., system 102), to base station (BS) 103 b, which thenupdates its database accordingly.

FIG. 2 shows a process flow diagram for the exchange of informationbetween BS 102 b and UE 101. Although this process is shown with asingle UE for simplicity in explanation, multiple UEs may interact withBS 102 b at the same time. System information that is sent from a UE tothe BS and vice versa may include, but is not limited to: geo-locationof a UE, new system, congestion at the network and failure to detect anetwork.

At UE-S1, UE 101 obtains information relating to network 104, forexample. At step UE-S2, UE 101 transmits its identity to BS 102 b. Atstep BS-S1, BS 102 b receives the identity of UE 101. At BS-S2 BS 102first authenticates the identity of UE 101. This ensures that BS 102 bwill not accept information about other systems from malicious UEs.Next, at step UE-S2, responsive to the authentication, the informationis protectively encoded for integrity by UE 101 and, at step UE-S3, theprotected information is transmitted by UE 101 to BS 102 b. A preferredmethod of protective encoding is via message authentication codes.Encryption may also be used to protect the information from beingeavesdropped. At step BS-S3, BS 102 b verifies the integrity of theinformation. At step BS-S4, BS 102 b accepts the information and updatesits databases. Now that BS 102 b has updated its database, BS 102 b, atstep BS-S5, may communicate with adjacent systems 103-105 at regularintervals or triggered instants of time to validate the informationupdates received from UE 101. Corrections to the database, if needed aremade at step BS-S6.

System efficiency can be gained by BS 102 b taking a proactive role inletting UE 101 know of its surrounding systems, at step BS-S7. Hence, UE101 need not send any information if its resident system is on the listprovided by BS 102 b. This reduces radio traffic due to multiple UEssending similar information.

This database stored in each BS is used for cell re-planning and systemlayover during deployment of additional networks. For example, considera UMTS system overlaid over disjointed WLANs. The information gatheredat the UMTS base station is used for planning WLAN network in that area.System 102 gets geo-locations of different UEs as they communicate aboutother systems (say System 103). The operator can use the geo-location ofeach UE that reported about system 103 to approximate the coverage ofsystem 103. This approximate coverage area can be used to plug coverageholes or future deployment planning of system 103.

1. A method for updating a system database of a base station based oninformation sent by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:receiving an information packet from the UE, the information packetincluding detection of adjacent systems of various types of radio accesstechnology; updating the system database in the base station withinformation received from the UE; and the base station sending updatedinformation to the UE as to surrounding systems known by the basestation for reducing traffic, the updated information based oninformation packets received from other UEs sending other informationpackets including detection of adjacent systems of various types ofradio access technology.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:the base station receiving traffic loading information from the UE; andthe base station updating the system database to include traffic loadinginformation.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information packetcomprises signal power levels of the adjacent systems.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising the base station receiving geo-locationinformation together with a message authentication code.
 5. The methodof claim 1, further comprising the base station communicating with atleast one base station of an adjacent system at regular intervals. 6.The method of claim 1, further comprising the base station communicatingwith at least one base station of an adjacent system based on a timetrigger.